What Was Done
by Holz090
Summary: Carla's therapy sessions.
1. Chapter 1

_So basically I'm months too late with this, but I decided I'd have a bash at writing (part of) one of Carla's counselling sessions. Apologies for the fact that it's basically shit, I very nearly smashed my laptop to pieces several times in a fit of writers' block-induced anger/depression. _

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><p>"Well, this is awkward." Her front teeth grazed the top of her mug absent mindedly, an uncomfortable half-smile beginning to form. "I'm sorry, it's not a reflection on you. I don't usually <em>do <em>talking, y'know? I don't…" She pulled the mug from her mouth; the sensation of the china grating on her teeth wasn't a pleasant one, and she had visions of tiny fragments of china chipping away if she continued.

"I understand.". The woman's tone was soft, almost too soft. In Carla's head it sounded put on, patronizing, fake.

There was a long silence as this apparently wonderful therapist's eyes seemed to burn into her. This was going to be harder than she'd thought.

"I'm surprised they trust me with um, china mugs." She grinned, tapping the side of the cup, as though to prove she wasn't lying. A lame attempt at deflection, but she had to do something to break the painful silence.

The woman smiled in a manner that others may consider warm.

Carla's eyes circled the room as though looking for inspiration. She shuffled her feet, waiting for the woman to say something, but she didn't. Finally she could take the atmosphere no more, adjusted her position in the chair and opened her mouth to speak.

"I suppose you know why I'm here, right?" She started. "Y'know, what happened and…." She didn't have an ending to that sentence, so merely looked up at the woman instead. When she still didn't respond, she sighed and continued anyway. "I mean, I'm guessing they've briefed you. You've got notes and stuff on me, right?"

"I have a three line description on a referral form, if that's what you mean". The woman finally broke her silence.

"So you know what he did and… what I did?"

"To an extent, but I'd like to hear it from you, really. I never trust these things."

Carla smiled to herself. She knew this game. What she really meant was: I want you to say it so I can prod you and poke you on every aspect until you don't even know who you are anymore. But she'd promised herself she'd do this, she knew she had to, so her skepticism was going to have to take a back seat for the moment.

"Ok well, last night I was… feeling very sorry for myself and had all these crazy, stupid ideas in my head and… I dunno. Long story short I chased a bottle of sleeping pills with a bottle of vodka." The sharp, matter-of-fact way she delivered the line momentarily stunned Carla, and she reminded herself of a character in a film she'd seen, the title of which escaped her.

"Why?" The woman sat up now, seemingly going into robot-therapist mode. _Here we go_, Carla thought.

"Why did I do it you mean?" She looked upwards momentarily, a self-depreciating smile creeping over her face. "Ok look. I know what you're thinking. Cry for help, right? I mean why else would I have phoned Peter, why am I here now, talking to you?"

"But it wasn't?"

"No." She bowed her head as she turned the now empty mug over in her hands, remembering now why she'd refused counselling in the first place. She spoke slowly, her tone unsure, like a child who had been sent to the headmaster's office. "At the time I… I literally rang him to say goodbye; I owed him that much. I didn't expect him to come running round…"

"But he did".

What was this, a running commentary? Carla adjusted her position in her chair, reminded herself that she had to do this.

"Yeah…"

"And how do you feel about that?"

_Boom! _5 minutes in and here comes the cliché. If she didn't feel so shit she'd probably have laughed.

"Um… I 'spose I'm grateful… No, I… I know I am, um… Sorry…" She put the mug down on the pine coffee table between them; scared she'd drop it her hands shook so much. There was a burning behind her eyes like she wanted to cry, but everything was frozen and nothing seemed to work properly. She bit the nail of one finger gently as she tried to compose herself, knowing she was probably failing. "It weren't a cry for help but it was a mistake… I mean… it's what he wants in't it?"

"What he wants?"

"Yeah. Frank, I mean. The one who… y'know".

"Mm". The counsellor spoke softly, but held her gaze, as though hoping this might lead her into talk about what she was no doubt here to talk about.

The burning returned again, and Carla found it impossible to make any eye contact. There was a box of tissues on the table, but she felt oddly scared to take one. She knew that if she started crying she'd never stop, and she was desperate to avoid that.

The woman clearly picked up on this, because she leaned slightly further forward and nudged the box of tissues an inch with her forefinger. So quietly she was barely audible, she told her, "It's ok to cry, you know".

"Ohh" The corners of her mouth curled into the faintest of smiles as she wiped an escaped tear from the corner of one eye. "Please don't tell me that!"

She felt her stomach tighten and churn, fighting the desire to curl into a ball only because it was balanced by a contrasting, yet equally strong urge to run away. Instead she did neither, fixing her gaze on the mug she'd just put down. It took her a few moments to realize that tears were now uncontrollably streaming down her face.

Eventually accepting the tissue in the woman's outstretched hand, she turned her face away quickly, embarrassed. "Sorry…", her voice was almost lost in deep, shaky breaths, "I promised myself I wouldn't cry!"

She tried to force a small, wet smile, before her face fell serious again. "I won't let him destroy me." She turned to face the woman, their eyes meeting, albeit briefly, for the first time. There a sudden anger in her voice, a deep determination that she felt bursting from somewhere deep inside.

"I can't".


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews so far – they make me smile!

I'm no doubt using a huge amount of license here, and I'll admit I have no idea how rape counseling would work, but I'd guess it wouldn't be like this. But anyway.

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><p>They'd moved to a new room now, in a new building across town. She'd been ten minutes late trying to find the place and spent a further 5 minutes into the session worrying about how she'd ever get home again. There was a certain poetic irony to that, but as she sat, one leg tucked protectively beneath her, she was far too exhausted to reflect on it.<p>

This new room was different to the old one, which she'd found far too clinical. But then, it had been in a hospital. This room was brighter, with soft furnishings and cream curtains. It was almost patronizingly stereotypical, exactly like the ones in films, but there was something strangely comforting about the warmth and tranquility of the place.

Looking around the room, her eyes fell on to a small bronze statue of what looked like some sort of monkey. It looks out of place, too bold and prominent in the otherwise pale and inoffensive surroundings, and she found it oddly distracting, despite it being nowhere near her line of vision.

Carla looked up for possibly the first time since she'd sat down, and smiled awkwardly at the counsellor, again feeling guilty for the current silence. The woman smiled back, leaning slightly forward in her chair. "So, how have things been since we last met?" She asked. Her voice was its usual gentle tone, but the way it tore through the silence she may as well have screamed at her through a megaphone.

Carla cleared her throat. "Um… yeah I uh, I went home and felt a lot better for having… you know, just talked things through, so thank you. I uh… I'd barely got home when Maria was over telling me to move in with her for a bit…" She tilted her head as spoke, as though mocking the situation. "So… well I didn't have a lot of choice but to agree to be honest!"

"That's good… That you're not on your own I mean."

"Yeah. Yeah I guess so."

"You don't sound too convinced?"

Carla grinned as her eyes fell to the floor again. "Oh, no well… It is, I mean… I'm glad of her support and everything, really I am but…" She shrugged. "I dunno I just can't but help but feel guilty I suppose".

"Guilty?"

"Yeah." She reached for the glass of water on the light wicker table to the side of her, taking a sip whilst half wishing it was something stronger. "I guess you could say we have history". She placed the glass back on the table as gently as she could, as though it were made of antique china. She hunched inwards, suddenly ashamed and afraid to look up. There was a brief pause, before Carla eventually felt brave enough to speak again. "Before all this with Frank… before we were together or anything, he tried it on with her", she sighed, screwing her face up in shame. "I sent her round to his with some samples and… well anyway, she got away somehow and just legged it."

Carla looked up momentarily, scanning the woman's face for a reaction. When there was no expression of shock, she continued. "I believed her at first… tried to get her to go to the police but she was too scared… How ironic, huh? Anyway Frank um… Well basically he convinced me it all a misunderstanding and… well, I wasn't very nice to her. We fell out. Barely spoke until the night he… y'know".

"Mm. And that's why you feel guilty, for being fooled by him?"

_That and because it's my fault her husband's dead_, Carla thought.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall, barely acknowledging what it said. "Well if… If I'd just listened her then none of this would've happened".

"But you did listen to her", the woman answered.

Carla pulled a face, failing to understand how she was still sat there and not on the doorstep with the door slammed in her face. "I called her a drama queen and a liar." She said bluntly, making eye contact with her for perhaps the first time. "I don't understand how she can even bare to look at me".

"So you made a mistake. And you're clearly sorry for it."

A short burst of laughter escaped from Carla's mouth. The lack of judgment both put her at ease and made her feel uncomfortable at the same time. "A mistake is sending an order to the wrong company, or bringing the wrong set of keys to work. I ruined her life".

"Is that not just a little bit over the top?"

Carla smiled a self-depreciating smile. Oh, if only she knew. If only she knew how she'd lured her husband into bed like the heartless homewrecker she'd proven herself to be. If only she knew how it was all down to her that Maria had buried her husband, pregnant with a child who would never meet his father, the first face he saw being the man who murdered his Dad. _Then_ she'd hate her. There's only so far this non-judgmental, understand attitude could go and this would drive a 10-tonne truck through it.

"Carla, it seems the only person who hates you for what you've done is you".

It felt odd to hear her say her name. She had a southern accent of some sort, London or Essex maybe. She reminded her of her mother's sister, only this woman was far better spoken. She flinched slightly, feeling her eyes burn that familiar burn that signaled tears. She'd promised herself that after last time she wouldn't cry.

She sniffed, rising slightly to pull her leg out from under her, putting her foot flat and crossing her other leg in front of her. She sniffed, bringing one hand up to her long dark hair and pretending to be distracted by a split end.

"With good reason" She almost snapped back at her, uncomfortable and angry at this woman for defending her. "Still… I suppose I've paid the price haven't I? I mean, I had it coming, really."

The counsellor's face fell slightly, as though she was confused. Carla turned one corner of her mouth up in a half-smile: A reaction, finally. She sighed, leaning back in her slightly in resignation. "It's just karma, in'it?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for the reviews, they're appreciated and loved as always. **

**So I thought I'd change things a little bit this time and change the point of view here. Not sure how it's worked, but I just felt that this would play out better from an external view.**

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><p>Kate glanced at the clock for the fourth time in the same minute. She wasn't usually impatient when it came to clients arriving late, but this was one of those rare ones who, for some reason or other, she looked forward to seeing more than others. Their previous session had ended on a strange note that she still hadn't fully processed, and she found herself becoming increasingly worried that there was a reason for her being late, or that she wouldn't turn up at all.<p>

Which is perhaps why, a further five minutes later, her finger about to slam down on the call button of her phone, Kate was so pleased to see that dark haired woman get out of her car and head for the entrance to the building.

"Managed to find it ok this week then?" She half joked as Carla entered. Her voice instantly trailed off however when she saw the state of the woman stood before her. Her eyes red and swollen, hair thrown back in a messy pony tail, she practically threw herself into the chair, curling rapidly into a ball. Kate's heart felt like it had stopped as panic flooded her entire nervous system.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late…" Carla started, her eyes already filled with a fresh batch of tears. "I wasn't gonna come".

"What's happened, Carla?" She hoped her voice didn't betray her fear too much, although she guessed she wouldn't even notice if it did.

Carla blinked hard, her hands visibly shaking as she wiped a tear from her face. "He's got bail…" She eventually answered, her voice tinged with both anger and heartbreak. "They've let him out".

Kate said nothing, torn between her instinctual desire to hug this woman and her professional knowledge that this would be a bad move on several levels. Sitting down, she instead handed Carla a tissue; a feeble substitute for the words she failed to find. She knew in her head what she _should_ say, what the correct reaction to this situation may be, but they all seemed so useless and patronizing now. Kate's ten years' experience seemingly vanished in that second, and she suddenly felt completely inexperienced and unqualified to do anything to aid this woman's pain.

Carla spoke before Kate was forced to. A shrug, that self-depreciating smile that she had quickly come to recognize and associate with her final client of the day. Laughing at herself to distract from her pain, to keep people at a distance because being close and being open was far too terrifying a challenge to comprehend. But there was defeat in her tone now, like keeping up these walls was all too exhausting and that very soon she would be have no strength left to hold them, buckling under the weight and giving in completely. Maybe that was what the suicide attempt had been.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have come." She was half out of her seat already. "I'm gonna be useless today and to be honest I don't have the energy for talking. I don't know why I came".

"But you did". The panic rose inside her again, and the words had tumbled out before she'd even known they'd existed. "So please, stay". She wasn't sure for whose benefit that phrase had been, or how she expected Carla to react.

She sighed and fell back into her chair. Carla wiped a tear but kept her hand up by her face afterwards, her wrist covering her mouth. She spoke slowly, almost emotionless. "What is there to say? They promised they wouldn't let him out and they have done. The one thing, the one comfort I had was that he was locked away and now…" Her voice gathered in pace rapidly, growing intense and angry, before trailing off again. She pulled a face by way of expressing the feelings for which there no words. Her other hand went up to her head, her fingers running though her hair and she let out a despairing sigh. She looked exhausted. "They may as well just call him innocent".

"How do you mean?" Kate regretted the words the second they left her lips. What a stupid response!

Carla shrugged and wiped her nose with the now scrunched up tissue. "Well… if they genuinely believed he'd done it then they'd never let him go, would they?" She scanned the room again, looking everywhere except at Kate. "I mean, look what happened last time, do they just… What, did I just make that up?" She was angry now, her previously sunken eyes filled suddenly with a dangerous fire, an intense anger and disbelief. "He walks into _my _factory and threatens me, in front of witnesses, and days later they just what, forget that? '_Oh please sir, I won't do it again'. 'That's alright then, off you go'!" _She swung her arm in the air to imitate an opening door.

"Why would granting him bail mean they think he's innocent?" She asked, her tone cautious, aware of how potentially volatile Carla was.

Carla gave her a stare that she couldn't quite read properly. "Well because… They obviously don't think it's an issue if he strolls in and threatens me again".

"But he has bail conditions?"

She let out a mocking sigh, leaning back slightly in her chair. "Oh yeah(!) Apparently he's not allowed to come anywhere near me or he's straight back inside. Like that makes any difference."

"How do you mean, like it makes a difference?"

"Well I'm still jumping every time I hear a noise outside, every time the phone rings… Not that they care about that at all".

Kate sat forwards in her seat, unsure how what she was about to say would be received, but knowing that it needed to be said. "Carla I don't want you to think that I don't see how angry and scared this has made you feel, because I can really feel that and I do totally understand…" She alarmed herself at how much she was peppering this. She hadn't been this nervous since she was a trainee, but there was something as strangely intimating about this woman as there was a magnetic force that drew her to her. "But to me, it kind of seems like you're more afraid of the idea of him being out, than him actually being out. Does that make sense?"

Carla paused for a moment, directing her eyes upwards towards Kate. "How do you mean?"

Kate faltered slightly, trying her hardest to be firm yet tentative, and not to stutter. "I don't know, I might be a mile off here but it's just the way you said you were jumping when the phone rings… I think maybe you're more angry at them for making you feel paranoid and edgy than you are that he's walking the streets".

Carla put her leg down from her previously hunched up position, and for a moment Kate thought she might come towards her. "The fact that he's 'walking the streets' makes me paranoid, yeah." She answered, a slight aggression in her voice.

She paused then, her face tensing as thought she had just realized something. To Kate's surprise, her whole body appeared to slump down again, as though all the anger had retreated from her as quickly as it had descended. She tucked a clump of her behind her ear that had fallen from it's lose up-do. "I'm hauled up at the home of someone who by all rights should hate me, only she can't because she's too damn nice and I'm too fucked up right now. I can't even leave the house without feeling like everyone's staring at me, judging me… And that was before they let him out. I can't…"

She smiled, swiveling in her chair, one leg tucked under her, making direct eye contact. "You won't get this because you don't know me," she told her, matter-of-factly. "But I don't _do _victim, ok? I don't walk around in baggy clothes and no makeup, I don't walk like that, I don't fucking _think _like that. This is what he's reduced me to and I… I hate him for that, alright? I wanna kill him, I wanna scream until my lungs burst that this is all his fault and that I refuse to let him beat me. But I can't, because of what he'd done to me." She smiled again, a moment of warmth eluding from her. "Are you seeing my predicament now? It's all just… one huge mindfuck and then they go and let him out and I don't even know anymore".

Kate said nothing, unsure of what it was that Carla wanted from her.

Carla's head fell forwards into her hands, the wave of exhaustion seemingly hitting her all over again. "I just want this all to be over. I just want it to end".


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok so it's been far too long since I updated this, so I'm resisting the urge to pick endlessly at it for another month and never get anything done. I'm by no means happy with it, but. *shrugs* **

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><p>She hadn't looked or felt this good in weeks, certainly since they'd started their weekly sessions, but as she sat in that same familiar chair, those same familiar eyes on her, Carla suddenly felt very awkward. She was starting to regret not going home and getting changed first.<p>

"So yeah, I'm back at work. Hence the…" She gestured towards the fitted black blazer and dark jeans.

Kate looked uncomfortable, as though she were holding something back. "Is that a good idea?" she eventually asked, in a notably softer tone than usual.

Carla sighed – she'd been expecting this response. She shifted slightly in her seat, aware that this sudden change had probably come as a surprise. After all, mere days ago she'd sat in this very seat a nervous wreck- slobby clothes, no makeup, terrified at the prospect of bumping into the man who raped her in the street. So much had happened since that it felt almost a lifetime ago, and a lifetime she wasn't sure she had the energy or desire to go through again now.

"It's um, it's been a crazy few days to be honest, Kate". She paused, realizing this was probably the first time she'd referred to the poor woman by her name. No doubt she was mentally noting this down as some kind of progression. "And anyway, I don't really have a huge amount of choice".

"Oh?"

"Yeah um…" She rocked gently in her seat, trying to mentally detach herself from the words she was about to speak, knowing she was on the verge of another anger-fuelled rant. "Cutting a very tedious story short, he can't come back to the factory for obvious reasons, but his beloved mother can. And has". She spoke quickly now, as though getting it all over with quicker would prevent the inevitable probing. "Only now he, or they, have decided I'm a threat to the business and the only option is to take his fourty percent – literally, in materials, and set up elsewhere with my clients and my machines. So now I have more workers than machines and… yeah". The words tumbled from her mouth as she blinked back the dreaded tears. She smiled mockingly, "And this is all legal and above board, so basically I have to suck it up".

"He's taken from you, again. Left you powerless…"

Carla darted her eyes towards the window, pretending to be distracted by some imaginary object outside. She even tried the something-in-my-trick as she wiped away a tear from the corner of her left eye. But she knew Kate was no fool. "Mmm". She didn't know what else to say, even if she wanted to.

There was a silence that felt like hours, but according to the clock on the wall, which Carla watched intently, lasted mere minutes. Finally she could bare it no longer, adjusted her blazer which was becoming creased against the back of the chair, and reached down to grab her bag, which she placed on her lap – a signal that she didn't plan on staying. "Anyway I didn't really come here to talk about that." She told her, matter-of-factly, hoping that the shakiness of her voice wasn't too apparent but fearing that it was. "I've been thinking and this, this whole talking things through thing… I don't really think it's doing much good any more. I mean I can't change what happened can I, I've just gotta live with it and move on as best as I can and… Well to be honest wallowing in it isn't gonna let me do that".

"Wallowing in it?"

Carla gave her a knowing smile. "No offense" she offered, twisting the metal chain of her bag with one finger.

"None taken", Kate smiled back at her. For a moment they sat there in silence, before Carla remembered her intentions to make a bid for freedom.

She sat upright in her chair, swinging one foot absent-mindedly as it dangled in the air, her legs crossed over each other. "I um… What I mean is I've wasted enough of your time feeling sorry for myself haven't I?" She grinned slightly, as though talking to an old friend as opposed to her therapist. But then, she mused herself, this relative stranger knew more about her than anyone she'd class as a friend. She took a silent moment to ponder this, how she'd somehow felt able to talk to her when telling anyone else anything but the basic details still seemed impossible. "I mean, no doubt there's a waiting list full of much more deserving people than me!" She joked away the awkwardness of the situation.

Kate pulled a face that Carla was unsure of, as though she was pondering the best way to react. Eventually she leaned forward in the way she always did, and took a sip of the water by her side before speaking. "Carla I don't want you to feel like you're _wasting my time_". She quoted Carla's own words back to her; it felt strange hearing them from someone else's mouth. "Because I genuinely mean it when I saw that you're not."

Carla smiled softly, averting her eyes in case the lump in her throat decided to worsen. That would bring her perfectly constructed veil of deceit crashing down. "You would say that though, wouldn't you?" She spoke softly, slightly unsure.

_Please don't ask me any more questions. Just let me leave, please!_

"Would I?"

Her pulse quickened suddenly, and Carla wondered if she might be sick as panic flooded her. She wasn't going to let her leave. She had to leave. She had to get out, she had to…

"_I want you to go, now!" _

She couldn't breathe, and her whole body tensed as the images she'd hoped she was finally free of crept back into her mind. She gripped the side of the chair Kate couldn't see to steady herself, as terrified that she would see her panic as of the memories themselves.

"Carla… are you ok?"

Her voice was distant, distorted. The whole room spun and her heart seemed to stop.

"Fine…" she choked, forcing herself to her feet, praying she wouldn't faint. "I just need to…" she gestured to the door. "I'll call you… sorry…"

"Carla…?" Kate called back, but she was already out the door and away down the street in search of a cab.


	5. Chapter 5

_So I'm imagining everyone pretty much gave up on this fic a long time ago, seeing as it's taken me this long to update. To be honest so did I, but I thought I had to finish it, so decided to stick with relative realism and end it the way I feel that it would have. So, for the purpose of not abandoning this, here's the final part. Apologies in advance for the cheese-fest._

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><p>Kate wasn't even sure why she was still sitting here, looking out of the window every other minute as though she even expected Carla to come. For the past three weeks she'd done exactly this, every Tuesday evening, for the duration of their slot and often beyond that, she'd waited in this room in the vain hope that her client might yet return. She'd left numerous messages, both on her mobile and home phone, she'd even sent her a letter, something she hadn't done since her training days. But after tonight, Kate knew that even she would have to give up. It wasn't looking good, twenty-five minutes in and still no sign.<p>

She'd had clients drop off the radar countless times before, and she had come to see it as a rather nasty part of the job . But for some reason, this time it had been different. Maybe it was the look of sheer terror on Carla's face as she'd raced out of this very room almost exactly a week ago, or merely the fact that there had always been something about this woman she'd found compelling, but whatever the reason, she'd found it impossible to let go so easily.

She fidgeted in her seat, familiar yet stupid ideas floating around her mind. Should she phone hospitals? Morgues? The state she'd been in during those last few sessions, Kate didn't feel confident enough to rule anything out. Did she have a number for her place of work, or for a friend or family member? She wouldn't be able to say who she was of course, but perhaps if she asked to speak to her, some clues may be revealed. She found herself yet again running over every minute detail of that final session, of their whole time together and wondering if there was something, anything, she could have done to have changed the outcome. Was there something that Carla had said that would perhaps provide a clue as to what had happened to her? Had she said anything to scare her off, had something she'd said been misinterpreted, or had she taken offense to anything?

She was midway through scolding herself for being so stupid when her ringtone almost forced her heart to stop. It took several double takes for it to fully register the name on the screen, so much so that the tone was on its final note before she finally answered it.

"Carla?" She hoped the adrenaline racing through her wasn't portrayed in her voice as she found herself nervously awaiting the woman's reply.

The line was shaky, and the loud hub of voices and general background noise almost drowned out her voice. A tannoy announced that the 16:04 flight to Menorca was reading for boarding from gate 10B and then, finally, she heard Carla's voice. "Yeah, hi, uh… hang on". More background noise, and what sounded like a crisp packet being scrunched up. "I'll move somewhere with better signal". More static, and the sound of distant heels. "Right, sorry. Can you hear me now?"

At least she was alive. "Yeah, I can hear you". Kate didn't know how else to respond.

"Good. Um, yeah look, I'm really sorry for bailing before and, y'know, going AWOL. I hope I didn't leave you waiting around or anything?"

"Oh, it's fine". Kate had to physically stop herself from adding: ' I'm just glad you're ok'.

There was a pause, and Carla's voice dropped to a lower, almost hushed tone, as though she were embarrassed that someone might hear their conversation. "Well, as you can probably tell I'm not going to be able to make it today either so. See the thing is, I'm kind of going to LA".

LA? Kate was still trying to make sense of the woman she was now talking to, compared to the one she'd come to know over the last few months. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Look it's a long story but basically I'm not sure when I'll be back or anything, so.."

"Oh, ok". She was totally confused now. "Well, why don't you give me a call when you're back and we'll arrange something".

Carla cut her off. "Kate, uh, to be honest, I don't think there'd be much point. I only really rang to let you know I wouldn't be back… sorry."

Kate couldn't deny the short shock of panic and disappointment that hit her, but she knew expressing it would be pointless, not to mention unprofessional. "Oh, well, that's fine but I usually do like to end in person, y'know. If we could just meet for 10 minutes…" She was aware she was coming off as desperate, and tried to remove the emotion from her voice.

"Look, no offense but there really is no need" Carla interjected. "Thing are kind of OK now, my sister-in-law is sorting work and well, to be honest I really wanna treat this trip as a fresh start, ya know? Get my life back on track".

Kate new full well how easier said than done this was. She could even hear the hesitation in Carla's voice despite the confident demeanor. But she also knew that she couldn't force her to do anything, and that forcing her into something she didn't want to do would only cause more pain for her. "Ok well, if you change your mind, you've got my number" she eventually replied.

"You'll be the first person I call when it all gets too much again!" Carla joked.

_When _it all goes wrong. Even in her happy, confident state, she couldn't lie even to herself that she knew this wasn't the end. But this was possibly the first time she'd heard her client laugh, and it felt oddly reassuring, despite her worries that this was too much, too soon. There was a scuffling noise in the background as Carla seemed to pick up a bag before she spoke again, softly.

"Kate honestly, thank you for everything. You've been amazing and this is seriously not a reflection on you".

"I know, it's honestly fine". A little too close-friends and not quite enough professional therapist there, but she doubted Carla would mind or even notice.

"Look I've gotta go, my flight's just been announced. But truly, thank you".

"It's been a pleasure, Carla. Enjoy your trip!"

"I will do". And as simply as that, she hung up and walked out of Kate's life.

Kate sighed, disappointed but also genuinely relieved that her worst fears had remained just that. She may be fooling herself to a certain degree, but she had outside now by the sounds of it, and anyway, they'd ended on decent enough terms to restart their work together if it came to it. She'd done all she could, for now at least.

Collecting together a few folders, Kate took the two glasses of water from the table and tipped their contents into a flower pot, before placing back down to be dealt with in the morning. Taking a final look of the room, she smiled to herself as she locked the door behind her and headed off into the night.


End file.
